Transient formation of synchrony might serve as an integrative mechanism to bind neurons into coherent cell assemblies that are fundamental to cortical function. Such synchronization has been observed during visual stimulus discrimination, cognitive categorization tasks, potential motor command signals, and is similar to internally generated synchrony. However, understanding of the dynamical processes that underlie such fast and selective synchronization has been largely limited to computational models rather than biological networks. In these models, stable and spatially selective propagation of synchrony without distortion, decay or explosion can only occur when key parameters are set in a narrow range, particularly when synchronization emerges locally within large networks. These difficulties persist even when the constraints on synchronization are lowered to the propagation of transient firing rate increases, calling into question the ability of biological cortical networks to stably propagate synchrony.
There is a need for methods and systems for analyzing properties of propagation within ‘neuronal avalanches’ and utilizing the ability of cortical networks to support the propagation of precise patterns of synchrony within multiple cortical areas and across multiple cortical columns.